


A New Era of Darkness

by BannerApples



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: 5th Year Split, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Hogwarts Fifth Year, No Romance, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rewrite of an OLD Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 00:36:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13693185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BannerApples/pseuds/BannerApples
Summary: Despite the fact that lives are being lost all around him, a seemingly chance encounter leaves Harry with the hope the future won't be all that bad.(OG Summary recap: Hedwig dies. Harry bemoans life, cliches abound. A dog learns the ultimate trick: Play Dead.)(Being REVISED praise the Lord above its been 10 years. Original chapters are over on FF.N, if you wanna read them. Warning, I highly advise against it unless you want to see the hilariously atrocious teenage me's writing.)





	A New Era of Darkness

With a clatter, he fell to the floor tangled up in his bedding. Chest heaving with harsh breath, Harry Potter of Number 4 Privet Drive groaned and cradled his head in his hands. His cursed scar was aching and raw with pain, a sure sign he had just witnessed something in his dreams. Fleeing flashes of maniacal laughter and hissing words tumbled around and round his mind, lending clarity.

Pooling across the floor, the moonlight provided enough light for him to see by enough to untangle and stand up. He stumbled over to his desk, still light-headed, and jotted down on a scrap paper. ' _V plans attack. London. Blaming? More DE. V smug summers end. Warn order.'_  Harry squinted, almost blind without his glasses, re-reading the paper before he was satisfied it appeared correct. He would fix it in the morning if need be before he sent his Order missive.

Across the room, locked in her cage, Hedwig clacked her beak and ruffled her feathers, sharp gold eyes watching Harry carefully and with an almost concerned air about her.

"I'm alright, girl. Just another vision. I think." He smiled gently and picked his way across the room to run his fingers along the cage bars. Careful prying at the bars near the latch rewarded him with enough space to stick two fingers in to smooth the ruffled crown and the Snowy settled, letting out a soft, pleased bark. Harry stood there absently petting her feathers until the moonlight crept up his legs and softened into the pre-dawn glow.

He blinked, yawning. His gaze focused down at where his fingers had slowly stopped and slipped down to rest on the edge of the cage. Wings tucked in close and head ducked, Hedwig exuded an air of sleepy chirps, only audible at close range. A smile tugged at his lips and the Boy-Who-Lived drew away, towards where his bed called out to him.

He woke later to the harsh  _beep-beep, beep-beep_  of his alarm, signaling him to get up. Stretching, the teen rubbed at his eyes tiredly and yawned, hauling himself up and to the bathroom so he could splash water on his face. A few minutes later brought him back to his room, more alert and (reluctantly) ready to start the day.

Faintly, Harry could hear the sounds of his Aunt Petunia shuffling around in the kitchen, and soon the bitter scent of coffee drifted up the stairs. It was a Saturday, so his uncle and cousin were both still snoring away. He got dressed, dragging a comb through his messy black hair and trying to make it look somewhat presentable before he checked on the water and feed in his owl's cage. The bowl of feed was still half-full, a testament to either Hedwig understanding Harry's whispered apologies for needing to ration what was left or her lack of appetite in response to being stuck in her cage.

Harry silently promised himself once all this was over, he'd get a large plot of land where Hedwig would never have to be tied down in a cage that barely fit her and could roam where she pleased. Skipping the second to last bottom step on his way down the stairs, he detoured by the door to pick up the advertisements slipped through the mail slot with the post and dropped the bundle on the counter.

Busying himself with getting a light breakfast, he nodded in acknowledgment at the note shoved at him by his aunt with a list of things needing to be done. Weed the garden, which meant just watering it and making sure no animals scurried about it overnight, and trim the grass. Unnecessary, considering he had just done it two days prior, but Harry figured it was mostly to keep him busy and out of trouble.

Which, considering his current state and situation, was understandable. He still grieved over the outcome of his most recent school year, with the death of his godfather and the reveal of the Dark Lord's return. He still had not received word on when he could leave his summer prison, and it was quickly approaching his birthday.

The day passed mostly in a dull haze, broken in monotony only by Uncle Vernon gruffly accosting him about what he's gotten done, and then scowling with beady sharp eyes as he unlocked Hedwig's cage so Harry could send her off on her every-third-day trip.

The rest of the week dragged on in this fashion. And then, abruptly, the next Friday was upon him and Harry found himself staring at the dim entrance to the park as Dudley's gang of ruffians hooted and hollered their way past on the opposite side. Staring back at him was some sort of humanoid creature, covered in black and white fur with what appeared to be red-accented quills poking out the back of its head, and wearing nothing save for the pair of shoes on its feet and the gloves on its hands.

The deep red eyes of the creature locked gazes with him, and it smirked. Raising its hand and closing its eyes in concentration, a green glow slowly grew to be blinding around its fist. Harry threw up an arm to repel the light and heard, from its direction, a deep masculine sounding voice shout.

" _Chaos... Control!"_

The green light faded, and Harry opened his eyes to see whatever it was had vanished. He groaned and blinked a few more times before inhaling deeply. ' _That's it... I need more sleep. I'm starting to see things like Luna."_

Much later, he would think back on the strange encounter and realize that the creature's appearance was almost familiar. As if he had seen it before.

**Author's Note:**

> The original version of this was posted over on FanFiction, oh, a little over 10 years ago. Or at least, the concept of it was. You can find it by searching up either the title or my username, though its ID is 3240771 if you prefer that method. I warn that it's pretty bad writing. I've gotten a hell of a lot better since then, so I feel like I can safely revisit this and maybe do it justice this time. 
> 
> (TANGENT) Luckily, Harry Potter is the fandom that was my Origin Story, and Shadow is, well, one of my all-time favourite fictional entities. Hopefully, when we get to the meat of this story, the characterization either makes sense with the diversion or stays true to canon. I can safely say the revised version won't feature as many silly ideas crammed into it as my past-self wanted. Starting with the body modification - at the time, giving Harry tattoos and piercings was a "cool" thing to do, and made him seem more "badass". Also, past-me, regardless of how well they would potentially get along, there is no feasible way Shadow and Harry would be the best of friends in less than 24 hours. Grudging allies, perhaps. Working together from needs, yes. Ready to ride or die and get matching tattoos, not a chance. 
> 
> Anyways, apologies in advance as the chance of non-sporadic updates are slim but I'll at least make a noble effort to not leave it more than 6 months between updates. Promise.


End file.
